gelato Oliver a history buff wanted to see some Roman ruins Getting ready to go to Italy required some planning Oliver researched what February’s weather would be like in Rome Venice and Modena Since he loved playing with Mom’s smartphone this was no hardship Ollie reported that Venice and Modena were likely to be in the 40s for most of the trip Rome was supposed to be a little warmer in the mid-50s The twins made packing lists for themselves and Ollie skipping the boring stuff like conditioner and soap The last few days before the trip were hectic On the ride home from school one day Samal had a small meltdown Mom my teachers are being so unfair I have to take math science social studies and English tests all before we leave Everyone else gets to take them next week I haven’t even learned all the material yet
Mom sighed I know it’s a bummer now but when you’re having adventures all over Italy you’ll think it was worth it The twins nodded At least their teachers didn’t give them any homework over the break Instead they just asked Samal and Anara to keep journals while they were in Italy With bags packed and tests taken it was nearly time to leave the But when Ollie flipped on meteorologists were predicting a serious ice storm for New York the Weather Channel Would their trip be canceled
A Roman Cat-astrophe When the kids woke up on departure day the power lines outside of their apartment window glistened Tree branches wires and even the sidewalks were coated in a thick shiny layer of ice Anara looked at the airline website to check their flight Many of the morning flights had already been canceled Sam said the TV news announced that airport crews were working to de-ice the runways Despite the still-messy roads a taxi came to their apartment to pick them up around dinnertime After a slight delay at the airport they boarded the plane Everything started out smoothly on the overnight flight to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport Then they hit turbulence Samal refused to take motion sickness medicine before the flight saying that she only got sick on windy car rides As their flight hit what the pilot delicately called rough air Samal got a serious case of nausea Ollie on the other hand got a case of the giggles as the plane bounced up and down
